Founded in 1993 by brothers Tom and David Gardner, The Motley Fool helps millions of people attain financial freedom through our website, podcasts, books, newspaper column, radio show, and premium investing services. Things started out with a bang in 2019 for investors in eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY). Just prior to the company's fourth-quarter earnings report, eBay was double-teamed by activist investors seeking change at the languishing e-commerce platform. Activist investment fund Elliott Management sent a letter to eBay's board of directors disclosing a 4% stake in the company and outlining a series of steps it said would unlock value for investors.